


Finish What You Started

by Armayra



Series: A New Beginning [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Ben Solo Lives, F/M, Fix-It, Part 2 of A New Beginning, Post-Canon Fix-It, Redeemed Ben Solo, Reylo - Freeform, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27351397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Armayra/pseuds/Armayra
Summary: Rey and Ben continue to adjust to their new lives, while dealing with the looming threat of Quinn overhead.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: A New Beginning [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997503
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

The first night after coming back to Ekair, Rey laid awake in the bed they shared of their new home. The house that Eir had given them was extraordinary; far above and beyond anything she had ever owned, least of all ever dreamed. Following the stairs upwards, it led to singular hallway, where a few rooms laid waiting. The largest of them containing a single bed large enough for two people. It was hard to sleep when everything was so new, so very much _theirs_ ; and yetthere was still the viciously adamant part of her that insisted this was only temporary, a borrowed space for the night of two weary travelers.

"Can't sleep?"

She looked up, to find Ben watching her with a soft expression. "How can I?" She answered, "Especially when everything is so unbelievable."

"This isn't temporary." He smiled, "Just think how much fun you'll have painting the walls."

When the question had been put forth on how they were going to decorate the place, Chewie had been the one with the idea. Ben went along with it, mentioning how enjoyable her drawings in her survival guide had been. Rey had agreed with the idea, as in all honesty, she enjoyed the activity and relished the chance to try it with a different medium.

She laughed softly, nuzzling into him. "Are you trying to lure me back to sleep or keep me up longer?"

He chuckled. "I suppose you have a point there." He leaned forwards, placing a kiss in her hair. "This is ours to keep and we'll never let it go."

"Both of us, together forever."

"Always, no matter what. I will always find you, sweetheart."

"I'll hold you to that." She smiled, moving up to kiss him.

/

The next morning, Rey was awoken by the smell of breakfast being cooked. She smiled, basking in the glory of what they had found, before making her way down the stairs. At the bottom she found Ben in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove. Some of what made it up was what few things they already had, while Eir had informed them the rest had been gifted by Amir, Ranulf, and Mercy.

"Having fun breaking in the kitchen already?" She said, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Naturally." He turned around in her hold, placing a hand on her back and leaning down so he could kiss her. "Good morning, sweetheart."

She smiled, leaning up to return the kiss. "Good morning, Ben."

Mid way through breakfast there came a small, timid nock on their door. Rey was the one to answer, to be greeted by Kira waiting on the other side.

"Hi." The small girl said, "Um, can I join you like before?"

"Of course!" Rey smiled, stepping aside to let Kira enter. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Um, sort've." Kira fidgeted, her hands twisting the hem of her shirt. "Vikki's cooking isn't as good as Mr. Ben's..." She mumbled at the end, staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet.

"Then why do you join us?" Ben said with a warm smile, "There's still plenty left."

"Okay!" Kira said enthusiastically, practically running over to the bar stools that sat at the kitchen island, taking a seat next to Ben, who already had a plate ready for her.

Rey followed after her, taking a seat on Kira's other side. The small girl ate with a large smile stretched across her face, and Rey had to resist the urge to stroke Kira's hair. That would have been a bit strange, right? It's wasn't as if she was their child, so why would there be such a strong feeling to hold Kira tight, and never let her go? Rey glanced over at Ben, and knew that he felt the same. Having Kira around felt right; like the missing piece of a puzzle they hadn't even realized was missing.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Kira asked, looking between them.

"Well, for right now we still need to tell Eir about what we learned."

"And then there's still Vikki's ship to finish, although that shouldn't take more than a day."

"And training me too?" Kira asked quietly.

"Of course." Ben said with a smile. "We would never forget about you."

"Yay!" Kira cheered, her whole face lighting up. "Oh! I almost forgot! I need to show you my progress!" Kira held out her hand, her face scrunching in concentration. After a moment her fork wiggled, before slowly sliding across the counter towards her. "Ta-da!" She said, stopping once the fork had reached her hand. "How is it?" She asked, looking between Rey and Ben.

"Fantastic!" Unable to resist any longer, Rey threw her arms around Kira, holding her close. "You're doing so well."

"Really? It isn't much though..."

"You really are. Some progress is better than none." Ben said, placing a hand on Kira's head.

Once breakfast was over, Eir came to visit them. "Please excuse the interruption," She said, lowering her hood as she entered, "I wanted to make you were settling in alright."

"Yes! Everything is lovely, thank you, Eir." Rey said with a smile. "Since you're here, though, I think it would be a good time to talk about what we found out."

"That would be lovely." Eir said with a smile, taking a seat on the last remaining bar stool.

"Is this about that thing Vikki was saying you had to leave to sort out? Do you need to be alone?" At Chewie's growl, she looked between the other three. "What's he saying?"

"He says he watch you for a bit." Ben said.

"Really?! That could be fun! I can show you my room!" Kira exclaimed, tugging Chewie out the door.

"How has she been while we were gone?" Ben asked, looking over at Eir once the pair was out of sight.

Eir smiled softly, her gaze lingering on where Kira had been before looking back at Rey and Ben. "She's done quite well while you were gone, although it was plain that she missed you both. It really is a wonder how far she's come since meeting the two of you. She is hardly recognizable from the girl that first arrived here."

"We really haven't done much, though." Rey said. It was simply what anyone else would have done, after all. It was just natural to take Kira in like they had; how could you _not_ want to comfort, to help someone as precious as Kira?

"Perhaps it may seem that way to you, but to one small child it means the world." Eir shook her head, a knowing look on her face. "Even the smallest acts can have the greatest significance." It was a phrase Rey nor Ben could deny; when in reality the same could be said of them. The thing that had started bringing them closer had been simple conversations, ending with the briefest of hand touching – all leading to where they were now.

"...Yeah, I can see how that would be." Ben said as Rey nodded.

"Perfect! Well then," Eir said with an eager smile, "shall we get to the matter at hand then?"


	2. Chapter 2

It shouldn't have come as a surprise, yet telling Eir all they had learned was somehow worse then when they initially learned the truth. It was something so raw, so fresh, that in so speaking it aloud was like poking an open wound; the words driving ever further how much they were to falling into the same mistakes.

"…Thank you for telling me." Eir spoke somberly, once the tale was finished. The tone of the room had taken on a darker tone, despite the brilliant sun shining through the windows. "It would seem even with such an ability one must take care not to fall into complacency."

Rey nodded, giving Ben's hand a squeeze that he had not let go of since they had began to explain. "You were right about Kaine leaving her knowledge behind as a warning. After hearing her whole story, we realized just how close we are to following the same path."

It still wasn't something either of them liked to talk about, an issue they avoided bringing up since the night they had learned the truth. Yet still it remained in them both, a fear of losing what they had finally achieved, of being forced to exist as only half a whole; an ugly possibility collectively shoved down until the time was right to deal with the pain up front.

"Which is why before anything else happens, it needs to change." Ben said. "There has to be a way we can go to each other, the same as when we hand things over. We just need to figure out how."

"Hmm…" Eir placed a clawed finger against her cheek as she titled her head in wonder. "Tell me, when you converse with each other across distances, can you see the other's surroundings?"

Rey shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Then I would suggest you start there. How can one go to the other when you can't see where they are?" Eir smiled softly. "The best way to make progress is to go back to the beginning. Find where the biggest change was, and try to recreate it."

"Should I go jump in the lake and come back?" Rey said, a grin tugging on her lips.

"I rather not have a repeat of you almost drowning." Ben grimaced. "On second thought," he added, standing up, "the first thing we need to do is teach you how to swim properly."

"You already helped me with that back in the cave."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Rey, that was not swimming. At most it was a simple dog paddle."

"Well, I see you two still have some things to sort out," Eir said with a small laugh as she stood up, "I shall leave you to it then." She gave them a small bow. "Again, you have my thanks for telling me of Kaine and Meru."

Rey shook her head. "It's the least we could do for all you've done for us."

Eir smiled softly. "It was no trouble, really; you are part of my people, after all. If you need any other help with anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask."

"I know you said that you don't get much news out here, but…" Rey began, sharing a look with Ben as the looming worry of Quinn resurfacing.

"…things aren't quite as resolved as we hoped they would be." Ben finished, rubbing the back of his neck.

Eir gave a thoughtful nod, placing a hand on her chin. "I see, that is rather unfortunate. If I hear anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

/

After Eir left, Rey convinced Ben to make progress as the older woman had suggested, on the pretense of being able to go to each other wherever being far more important. It hadn't taken much for him to agree to it; how could he refuse her? Especially now with the sun shining on her face, stray strands of hair framing her cheeks, and a soft smile on her face as she leaned back, her eyes closed. She was stunning in every way imaginable, and he thanked whatever higher power there was for being so lucky as to have her.

Rey opened her eyes, a smile spreading across her face. "How are we supposed to go back to the beginning if you keep flirting with me?"

"You mean there wasn't any back then?"I

"Is that what it was supposed to be? I'll remember for next time you try to offer to rule the galaxy."

"And you're still trying to kill me." He tried to sound serious, but couldn't deny the smile that was tugging at corners of his lips. He leaned forward subtly, staring directly into her eyes. "Ah, you are."

A shiver went down Rey's spine, but not an entirely unpleasant one – it was the feeling of being completely seen, missing not even the slightest detail; the same she had first encountered back on Ahch – To. She had been unprepared and taken off guard back then, but ever since it had quickly become one of her favorite things. She grinned. "Well, you are my Dragon after all."

"And you saved me, now you're stuck with me. What are you going to do about it?"

"What, indeed." She leaned forwards, placing one hand down to brace herself while the using the other to grab onto his collar, pulling him close so that she could kiss him.

"Um, Missus Rey? What are you doing?"

They broke apart, albeit a bit reluctantly, resting their foreheads together.

"Kira?"

Rey nodded against him, a small laugh escaping her. "This must look quite strange to her." She began to pull away, but stopped at the touch on her arm.

"Wait, are you sitting in a tree?" It was faint and muted, yet still Ben could just make out the outline of the subtle, warm brown that could only belong to that of a branch.

Rey smiled, even as the outline of part of a ship came to be, the vague image of the table Ben was leaning against. "And you're in the Falcon."

It wasn't much, but it was still far more than they had ever seen before, and with it came hope; the knowledge they could truly go deeper, farther then they had ever before, bringing them that much closer to completely easing the fear of being separated ever again.

"Were you talking to someone?" Kira asked as she watched Rey climb down from her tree.

"I was talking to Ben." Rey answered, jumping the remaining distance and landing easily on the ground.

"But, where is he? It was only you up there."

"I could see him. We can use the force to see each other no matter where we are."

Kira's eyes lit up. "Really?! Can I learn that?"

"Uh, well…" Rey scratched her cheek, unsure of how to handle the question. How could they teach something they barely understood themselves? That wasn't even counting the fact what she shared with Ben was unique; it wasn't some everyday occurrence. No, it was more realistic it couldn't be taught, and would only set Kira up for disappointment later. Denying her didn't sound much better, either though…

_A little help here?_

Rey heard a soft chuckle behind her, and turned back to see Ben approaching them. "Kira," he said once he was near enough, and bending down so he was at her eye level, "everyone has something unique they can do. You just have to find yours."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely." Rey said, bending down as well. "It'll just take time and practice, but you'll get it." She smiled. "In the meantime, do you know how to swim?"


End file.
